*Reminder

        If you cannot repent your sins to God, you are not humble enough. Just remember that a big ego cannot get through the narrow gate to heaven.

*Advice

        You may dislike a lot of people, but still love them, for you must never alienate the Lord your God.

Cooperation Between God and Us

        Both "Only God can change us" and "Only we can change ourselves" are correct. "Only we can change ourselves" means we are the only ones who can initiate the change by permitting God to enter us. From this point on, God is now the only one who can make and complete the change in us.

Mixed Feelings

        I get mixed feelings about Jesus' Second Coming. Of course, for the sheep Jesus will take with him, we shall naturally rejoice. Then what about the goats that's going to be left behind forever? You can't help feeling sad about them, but again, they were the ones who made the Lord sad for not loving him. So I believe that our joy would overwhelm any sadness we feel. After all, that's the time the Lord will wipe every tear from our eyes.

*Not Any Lord

        Communion experience. Jesus is absolutely my most intimate Lord.

Intention Matters Most

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into treasury and a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." Again, the intention behind our action is what counts. It boils down how much we truly love the Lord.

How God Leads Us

        Each one of us is a unique creature of God. We all have different dispositions, temperaments, talents, upbringings, etc. The Lord, knowing it all, puts us who love him on different paths to perform tasks for our maximum spiritual benefit and his greatest glory. Whether we are poor or rich, erudite or uneducated, adroit or clumsy, shy or outgoing, mystical or not . . . the Lord knows exactly how to lead us on. In my own case, I have a pretty simple mind, always trying to simplify things to go straight to the point. God, accordingly, makes everything simple for me to understand and follow. Whoever and wherever you are, serve the Lord faithfully with patience as he leads you through life. 

Our Hope Eternal

        Communion experience. I see Christ as our brightest hope. Since he exists forever, I shall never stop hoping in him. Therefore, I shall never stop praying for all the souls until his Second Coming, whether I am still living in this world or not.

Greatest Revelation or Stumbling Block

       Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. In the second reading from Revelation 1, the Lord God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." For those who already follow Jesus, this must have been their greatest awakening or revelation. But for others, especially those who are power hungry and proud, it remains their greatest stumbling block. The world divides because of the Lord.

False Freedom

        People do not want Christ in their lives because they want to feel free to do whatever they want to do. Unknowingly and foolishly, they instantly lock themselves inside a cage they have built for themselves. Meanwhile, those who follow Christ is enjoying complete freedom in his infinite space, doing exactly what they wish to do, the will of God.

*God Our Great Healer

        Going through life, we all get emotionally hurt or suppressed from time to time. And when we can't take it anymore, we get angry or out of control in some way. Certainly, talking to someone or getting counseling somewhere can help, but none has the power to heal himself or anyone else. The only one who can heal all our wounds and hurts is the Lord God our creator. Naturally, you must ask for help from him first to let him enter before he can heal you. Unfortunately, many with too much pride just do not believe in the Lord, and they continue to suffer. 

To Die for Jesus?

        Are you willing to die for Jesus who has died for you? If to die means to let your old self die by letting the Lord make you anew, the answer should certainly be yes.

Reverse Déjà Vu

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, we read that while Jesus was teaching in the temple area every day, the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were seeking to put him to death. This scene is familiar today when you see politicians of one party seeking to bring down the leader of their opposition party no matter how much good he or she is doing.

Be Good for God

        When Jesus shows up unexpected upon his Second Coming, would you like to be caught thinking about how you dislike someone, or speaking unkindly to a member of your family, or checking out an impure website online? If your answer is no, no, no, then be holy and do not sin in thoughts, words, or deeds.

***God Not Doing Anything?

        We wonder why God does not crush all evil and bring peace to the world. Let us remember two things. First, God has already done his part paving the way to salvation for us. Now it's time for us to respond. Don't you see that if we all turn to the Lord and obey him, there will be instant peace in the world? Secondly, read this response from Jesus to Pontius Pilate during his trial: "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. Bt as it is, my kingdom is not here." You get the idea. The Lord's chief wish is to have us join his kingdom so as to have life eternal. Any peace he can bring to us on earth who do not change our hearts will be short-lived and imperfect. 

Heavenly Bond

        Communion experience. It's bonding with Jesus in heaven! 

***Perfect Union Now

        Christ loves us so much that he wants to possess all of us. Our perfect reaction should be to want to possess all of him. In practice, we would just let him possess all of us and he becomes ours in the process. Now we have perfect union this side of heaven!

Key Step to Salvation

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus cleansed ten lepers and only one of the ten returned, fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Jesus told him that his faith had saved him. In many other cases of healing, Jesus had said the same thing. It strikes me that to have faith in the Lord is the most important step we can take. There are many others things we need to do afterwards, but to have faith in him is the key step to take to be saved.

Thankful for Most Patient Father

        On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that I'll get to eat turkey, ham, yams, etc., but I am most thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who is infinitely patient with us. We parents know exactly how we feel when our children do not love us anymore, rebel against us, or leave us, wanting to have nothing to do with us. When we cannot handle it anymore, we just cut off our relationships with them. Now, our Father loves us more than any of us could possibly love our children, and billions of us ignore him, but he still patiently waits, never wanting to punish us and hoping that we'll turn to him like the prodigal son one day. This is the loving, patient Father I am thankful for.

*God Our Ultimate Quest

        These thoughts came to me this morning as I was having some breakfast. It would be enjoyable to sip coffee or tea and listen to some nice music in the background. Certainly, there are numerous other nice things to enjoy in life. This in fact is exactly what everyone in the world is seeking in order to live a happier life. The shocking realization is that all these things are passing, ourselves included, and we absolutely cannot build anything solid upon any of them. The only rock we can build and depend upon is the eternal Lord God. It is only in him that we'll find happiness, satisfaction, and enjoyment that never end. Again, he has made us this way. Discover the Lord and you discover yourself as well.

*Why Christianity Is the Truth

        Looking at the other major religions other than Christianity, I see the following. At one extreme we have a religion that's easygoing – it does not pressure you in any way, which means you can join or leave freely at any time. And at the other extreme, we have one that forces you to join and would not tolerate anyone who disagrees with its teachings. As for Christianity (which I won't call another religion, for it is the truth to me) it respects our free will and never forces it teachings on us. It simply proclaims the truth and spells out the commitment you need to make for the sake of your salvation. The decision is entirely up to you. When you voluntarily decide to follow Christ, your faith truly becomes a meaningful thing. I see the perfect balance and fairness to us here. That is why I see Christianity to be the truth.

**God's Higher Thoughts and Ways

        Why don't people believe in Jesus readily? I find the answer in Isaiah 55. It's because God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways ours; and as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. This is the natural gap between the creator and his creatures. So the fact that people have difficulty accepting Jesus only bolsters the reality that he is God.  

*Another Reason Not to Sin

        When Catholics go to confession, depending upon the nature of the sin, they can feel embarrassed confessing it before the priest. This is good, for the next time they are tempted to commit a sin they know would make them feel embarrassed in confession, they can stop right there and then from committing that sin.

*God Our Sole Judge

        Communion experience. I loved it when the Lord let me see all my faults. It's good to see what he sees, to know his thoughts, and to learn his ways. One particular insight worth mentioning is that he made me see that he alone is the judge all things. Therefore, we need to be 100% humble and can remain in peace, knowing that God will set everyone and everything in its right place at judgment time.

***Pure God

        Looking at the various non-Christian religions, I notice the following: (1) People conjure up various gods, (2) a human being started a religion with all teachings originating from him, or (3) a human being claimed that he knew God so that we must follow him. In all cases, God remains unknown to us or his image has been tainted by a human being. All you need to do is to look at how God was presented to us: predictable, with God thinking and acting like many of us. Now, how refreshing it is to look at Christ. He revealed God to be love. To demonstrate that, he came into the world and died, carrying all our sins so that we might be saved. And he is mighty while being meek and humble. No one could have expected God to be like that! So here is God, revealing purely himself as only he can. This has to be the true God, the one to be trusted!

**Do You Know?

        You can avoid Christ by trying not to even think about him, but do you know that you can also let him embrace you, set you free, give you inner peace, fill you with joy now and forever? And, by the way, there is no limit as to how deep you can enter his space and enjoy his love. It's all up to you.

***Most Excellent Way to Be With God

        To be Christ-centered is to be with him and to include him in everything we do, that is, we become inseparable from him. This is the way to live the Christian life. We can figure out how to get close to him, how to love him, how to serve him better or how to grow spiritually on our own, but this is not the smart way to go. The smart way is go straight to him, open yourself up to him, and give yourself over to him entirely, then he will teach you and do the work for you. I don't mean that you don't do a thing anymore; the main thing you do now is to go all out to be with him and to know him. And with you, he'll help you do all other things.  

Faith and Trust, Our Business

        In Mark 11.24, Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." Therefore, we should pray hard, never doubting the outcome. Similarly, when we show our love for our neighbor, we are not concerned about how that person might react. Putting it "coldly," our job is to trust in the Lord single-mindedly and not care about anything else.

Surprise vs. Shock

        For those who love the Lord, things will turn out better than they could ever have expected in the end. On the other hand, for those who hate the Lord, things will turn out worse than they could ever have expected in the end. It's most enjoyable surprise or horrific shock.

*Only Love Matters

         Matthew 16.25: Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, says the Lord. It is clear that anyone who lives a completely self-centered life will not be able to save his eternal life. It all comes down to how much you love.

*God's Loving Gaze

        Let the Lord gaze upon your heart to melt it, then you'll be a changed person forever. Such is the power of his sweet love.

Death No Longer a Concern

        Communion thoughts. Once we have become one with the Lord through receiving the Holy Eucharist, our old self ceases to exist, for we now have and live a new life in Christ. And we are no longer concerned about our future physical death. 

Grateful for Seeing Faults

        Today I feel grateful (and happy) that the Lord has made me see my own faults clearly – positive sign that I can become a better person.

***Abandonment to God***

        Yesterday I turned on EWTN and caught a priest commenting on the Pharisees who believed that Jesus drove out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. The speaker was most eloquent. In fact, he had so much to say that after listening to him talking nonstop for 5 minutes or so, I lost my interest. I see the prime goal for all Christians is to be drawn into Christ to become like him. Therefore, we must focus upon the Lord, zeroing in on him to capture him in order to become one with him. But he already wants us, so to capture him becomes in reality to let him capture us, which means that we must open and abandon ourselves to him. This is the direct and fast way to possess God. Otherwise, all our effort amounts to beating around the bush. Relating to Christianity or Christ, there are so many publications and blogs out there. They deal with topics that are interesting, educational, or useful in some way. Many conferences and retreats have their own themes to follow. Speakers are often dynamic and uplifting, motivating you to love God even more. Unfortunately, I have not heard anyone telling us to abandon or surrender ourselves completely to God first. Perhaps it's because the speaker hasn't totally abandoned himself to God yet. Then I see that even if you do not know how to swim, you can still advise people that swimming is good exercise and knowing how to swim can save lives. I think another reason people do not talk about total abandonment to God is that they think it's for the saints only. This is making a big mistake, for it amounts to telling God that he cannot make you a saint, meaning in effect that you don't believe that nothing is impossible with him anymore. To think that way is to stifle the Holy Spirit. Know that God can even turn a pebble into a saint and that most great saints were like us or worse before they became saints. Challenge our infinite loving God, for he is more than competent to meet our challenges. Better yet, go before him and declare from your very heart: "Lord, I am all yours."

***Magnitude of Abortion

        On November 28, 2016, I posted "Abortion Horrendous." I have just updated and amplified it into a video which you can now watch on YouTube. You can also go on YouTube directly by typing in "Magnitude of Abortion." If you are with me, please spread this video to as many as possible. God bless you.

***The Great Breakup, a Warning!

        In today's Gospel from Luke 17, Jesus talked about the day he would be revealed. The most poignant lines to me are verses 34 & 35: "I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; on will be taken, the other left." I am not sure which is better, to be taken or to be left, but it strikes me hard to realize that the breakup between the two will be final and forever, not to mention the breakup from the Lord for one of the two! May this reading (verses 26-37) be a warning be to all of us, especially those who do not think much about their eternity.

***Be Vigilant and Alert Now!

        Jesus wants us to stay alert, for we do not know when he will come again. But while we are waiting, we must be aware of the fierce ongoing spiritual battle that's being waged by all the evil forces against God. You may look around and see beautiful neighborhoods, buildings, trees, etc., but if you think everything is fine and do not remain vigilant, your children and grandchildren will likely suffer. Looking within my own country, you have a political party that has no qualms about killing the unborn at any stage of their development. Abroad, there is a religion that wants to wipe out all Christians and others who do not share its faith. Christians, while continuing to love all others, must pray hard for their enemies, and themselves too, for they need to grow a lot stronger in the Lord and be prepared to suffer for him if they ever wish to triumph in this spiritual battle.

Another Guiding Rule

       There are many good rules of life we can follow, some broader and some more specific. Another one came to my mind: Forget about yourself and everything and everyone else in this world, and serve God alone wholeheartedly, and you'll go far (as far as heaven).

God Alone Is Sufficient

        Communion experience. Today's Psalm reading came from Psalm 23. "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." This first verse described exactly how I felt, for to have God is to have all our wishes fulfilled. Anyone who wants more than God has to be outlandishly out of his mind. 

Favored by the Lord

        During the consecration of the bread and wine at Mass, when I heard the priest say the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: "Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this this is my body which will be given up for you" and "Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me," joy filled my heart, hard to believe that the Lord favors me so much.

**No Fear of Jesus*

        In the Gospels, we read that many were awed by the mighty deeds Jesus performed and the authority with which he spoke to them, and they became afraid to ask him questions. Should we also be afraid of him in the same way. I think not. This is because we now know who he truly is and how he loves us. Unless you are an unrepentant sinner, we can rush toward him and throw ourselves in his arms with all our whole being and get the warmest loving welcome from him – this I can assure you. This is just the beginning. It only gets better and better as you abandon yourself more and more to him!

Faith Must Be Sincere

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, ten lepers begged Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus asked them to go show themselves to the priests. As they were going, they were cleansed. But only one of the ten returned and fell at the the feet of Jesus to thank him. Jesus said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." I believe what means the most to the Lord and counts for us is that we sincerely believe in him, even though we know we can never be perfect. This is so much better than being a believer outwardly but with no sincerity within our heart.

**"Killing" the Ego

        The ego is always in us. We can starve it, not pay any attention to it, etc., but it tends to rear its ugly head every chance it gets. Even when we are serving God, we remind ourselves that we are doing something good. In Luke 17.10, Jesus described the attitude a servant should assume by saying, "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" The best way to "kill" the ego is to let the Lord fill you to the fullest so that you will be occupied with him alone.

Forever With Jesus

        Communion experience. Our relationship with Christ once established is forever. We are loved by him forever. He'll guard our soul always. We'll have eternal life with him forever. He understands us always. We can trust in him forever. He is perfect for us as passing creatures in this passing world.

*Extra Awareness

We should live and realize that God knows everything about us at any time.        

The Unlovely and Unpleasant

        Jesus wants us to love everyone, especially those who do not love us. By the same token, we should also be willing to perform any task that's unpleasant to serve the Lord.

**To Be Nothing or Everything to God?

        Before the Lord God, we must realize that we are nothing, smaller than a dust particle in the universe, sinful and full of pride. Then to the Lord, we are his most precious children he would sacrifice his own Son to save so that we might have eternal life – we are everything to him! The question is "Do you want to remain to be nothing or become everything to God?"      

***My Great Wise Advice

        When we meet God after we die, we'll be shown in a flash what we've done and failed to do on earth so that we would understand why we receive the final judgment given to us. It would be smart for us to review our past on our own now and correct our course if necessary. Start storing up treasures in heaven now to avoid facing the biggest possible shock of your whole existence.

**Two New Realizations

        I realized two things today, one happy and one sad. The happy one first: Everything Jesus said in the scriptures was spoken out of love. He might sound harsh and demanding at times, but they were uttered out of love too! The sad realization: So many of the beautiful things man have created in the world seem rather pathetic, for their works were all created for their own glory. My comment would be in the vein of Jesus' prayer from the cross, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."        

**God's Tolerances

        The Lord God understands our human nature and weaknesses well. As long as our intention is good and sincere, he tolerates our childishness, fears, or even our stupidities, for his love overlooks all our faults and shortcomings. But we can do much better than that! Submit yourself to him and seek to be holy like him, and you'll get all the help you need from him.